Kiln for treating earthy materials



May 23, 1933. w HATHAWAY I 1,910,433

KILN FOR TREATING EARTHY MATERIALS Filed July 14 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 Y J72 0677 Z07? 'il/arne jfa ffia wag y 23, 1933- w. HATHAWAY 1,910,433

KILN FOR TREATING EARTHY MATERIALS Filed July 14, 1930 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 J77 v 672 557 il/a 77767 H a ifiaway Patented May 23, 1933 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE WARNER HATHAWAY, OF MADISON, WISCONSIN, ASSIGNOR, 13Y MESNE ASSIGNMENTS. TO AMERICAN FACE BRICK RESEARCH CORPORATION, A CORPORATION OF ILLINOIS KILN FOR TREATING EARTHY MATERIALS Application filed July 14, 1980. Serial No. 467,992.

This invention relates to kiln for treating or by the operation of a special form of charging apparatus.

The temperature within the kiln 1s sufficient to cause fusion of the granular part1- cles and bloating by the ebulitiou of gases within the interior of the mass, and after bloating, the layer is moved forwardly to ward a soaking chamber in preparation for the deposit of a succeeding layer of mater al, which is spread upon the hearth of the kiln in such a way as to overlap the terminus of the previously bloated section, so that the new layer will fuse and adhere to the previously formed material in the production of a continuous slab of bloated material.

Although the furnace of the present invention is designed primarily for the bloat1ng and annealing of earthy material, It can be used in a similar manner in the production of a slab of material in which the particles are 39 adhered or fused together without being bloated, since the bloating of the material will depend upon the ingredients of the clay or other earthy materials, as well as the temperatures to which they are subjected, so that it is possible by control of temperatures to either produce a slab in which the particles are merely fused together or sintered or to produce a slab in which the particles are both coalesced and fused together in a solid mass, although for most purposes it is desirable to bloat the material and discharge it from the bloating chamber as soon as it has been expanded to the desired extent in preparation for the deposit of a new charge.

from a description of the invention, in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein,

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic sectional elevation taken through the center of the kiln;

Further objects and details will appear Fig. 2 is a cross sectional elevation taken through the bloating chamber on line 22 of Figure 1; and

Fig. 3 is a perspective view of the charger.

The kiln of the present invention as shown is built upon a foundation 10, upon which is laid a floor of refractory material 11. The kiln proper is built'of refractory materials to provide a. front wall 12 and a rear wall 13 enclosing a' rectangular chamber, which as a whole constitutes the bloating furnace 14 which comprises an upper combustion chamber 15 constituting a bloating chamber, and a'lower combustion chamber 16 separated by a hearth 17. which is preferably formed of carborundum or other highly refractory material.

The bloating chamber is provided with burner ports 18, and thelower chamber with burner ports 19, and between the upper and lower chambers are connecting fiues 20. The bloating chamber is roofed over by a fiat arch 21 provided with a slotted port 22 through which charges of granular earthy material are fed from a hopper 23, below the mouth of which is located a swinging gate 24 for conltrolling the discharge of granular materia The mouth of the hopper 23 stands immediately below the drum shaped collecting so head 25 of a rotating preheater26, which stands in inclined relation and is adapted to feed the granular material progressively downward and to agitate the same during the preheating operation. -The collectinghead 25 is provided on one side with a discharge outlet 27 adapted to be closed by a cap 28 which may be removed when it is desired to downwardly discharge the accumulated mass of granular-earthy material from the collecting head into the hopper 23 within which it is retained until the gate 24 1s swung to permit of further discharge of the material into the slotted port 22. The side walls of the bloating chamber are 5 in the form of slide doors 29 of refractory material, and adjacent to one of the doors and in transverse relation thereto are located a pair of rails 30 constituting a trackway upon which runs a carriage 31 carrying an elongated beam 32 which at its outer end supports a charger 33 which comprises two hopper shaped sections 34 and 5, the former of which is of larger dimensions and is adapted to hold and discharge a charge of granular earthy material, and the latter of which is adapted to hold and discharge a layer of sand or other parting material, which must be spread upon the hearth in order to prevent adherence' of the granular material thereto when in fused condition,

The two sections 'of the charger stand back to back, and the bottom of the section 34 is elevated above the bottom of the section 35, which latter moves in closely adjacent relation to the upper surface of the hearth 17, while the. base of the section 34 stands at a substantial distance above the level of the hearth. The section 34is provided at its base with a slot 36, and the section 35 is similarly provided with a slot 37.

The sections are offset with respect to one another, the section 3-4 being extended farther toward the rear and beveled at its lower corner 38 for the purpose to be hereinafter explained. I

The configuration of the charger is such that it serves the dual purpose of depositing and afterwards leveling down an underlying charge of parting material such as sand, and an overlying charge of granular material. It will be noted that the sand containing section occupies the inner position with respect to the beam 32, and being extended below the companion section serves when the beam is moved inwardly to deposit and level down a thin layer of sand while the section 34 serves to deposit and level down a much deeper layer of granular material.

Immediately below the hearth 17, the inner walls 39 of the lower combustion chamber are sloped or beveled and communicate with slots 40 laterally adjacent to the hearth, so that any surplus accumulation of sand or earthy material will be. discharged from the edge of the hearth as the charger is moved laterally. thus serving to deposit and smooth down a level layer of material in preparation for the bloating operation. Surplus sand and granular material which may be thus discharged over the edge of the hearth and upon the sloping walls 39 will accumulate in proximity to the doors 41 which may be opened from time to time to remove such accumulation. The sand delivered to the compartment of the charger is discharged pletely bloated slab of material. The annealin portion of the furnace is separated by a floor 49 in alignment with the hearth 17 which floor separates the annealing portion of the furnace into upper and lower chambers.

The. upper and lower sections of the cooling chamber are connected by flues 51, and both the soaking chamber and the cooling chamber .are provided in the roof with ports 52 which are closed by cap blocks 53, one or more of which may if desired be removed to regulate the temperatures in various portions of the annealing section of the furnace.

The lower chamber of the annealing section is connected with the lower chamber of the bloating furnaceby ports 54, and the bloating chamber communicates with the soaking chamber through an aperture 55.

The annealing section of the furnace is covered over by a hood 56, which serves to collect gases and products of combustion and discharge the same through a stack 57, and the bloating chamber may be also brought into communication with the hood through the withdrawal of a damper 58, which serves to control the rear burner port 18 leading through the wall of the bloating chamber.

Operation The argillaceous or other earthy material in granular form is fed into the rotary preheater and there rotated and agitated and heated to a temperature which in most cases will be from 1500 F. to 1800 F., but in any event should be at a temperature slightly below that at which the material begins to fuse and stick together. The granular material is fed gradually down the inclined slope of the preheater and accumulates in the-drum shaped collecting head, and after a sufiicieut amount of material has been accumulated, the material is discharged through the port 27 into the hopper 23 where it is held by the gate 24.

With the material accumulated for a charge, the charger is first moved into position to receive a charge of sand or other part ing material from the hopper 42, which is fed into the compartment 35 of the charger and thus filled, the charger is moved inwardly, thereby depositing and leveling down a thin layer of sand or similar parting material across the surface of the hearth. The sand compartment being elevated but slightly above the surface of the hearth serves to level down the sand layer and the charger is moved completely across the manner first described.

Charge of granular material is spread evenly and at a uniform depth across the surface of the hearth, being leveled down by the bottom of the compartment 34, so that after the charging operation is complete, an even layer will lie upon the hearth, being slightly beveled along the edges due to the settling of the material to its normal piling angle. The'char er is then Withdrawn from the bloating c amber and the door-29 is closed, after which the bloating proceeds. r

- After the first charge has been thoroughly bloated it is moved rcarwardly by any suitable means partially into the soaking chamber, and sand or other parting layer spread upon the hearth and a new charge of granular I material deposited and leveled down in the The new charge slightly overlaps the beveled or rounded edge of the previously bloated charge, which overlapping is occasioned by the beveled corner 38 of the charger compartment 34, which is cut at a proper angle to spread the granular material in overlapping relation to the edge of the previously bloated charge, so that as the last charge is bloated it will fuse and adhere to the preceding charge and bloat up to a uniform level therewith, Without any groove or valley at the point of juncture, so that a continuous and unbroken slab or column is produced by unit charges fused and adhered together in the manner indicated. I

It is preferred to heat the lower compartment 16 of the bloating furnace to a temperature slightly above the bloating temperature, so that the temperature lag occasioned by the hearth 17 will be overcome as it is desired to accomplish bloating equally from both top and bottom. moved rearwardly into the soaking chamber, it will be subjected to atemperature of from 2000 F. to 2050 R, which infthe case of clays from the central part of eastern Illinois is a temperature intermediate the bloating temperature and the congealing temperature, and it will there be: allowed to soak at this temperature for a considerable period of time and while still in a partially plastic condition, which causes dissipation of all internal strains or stresses, after which the column progresses into the cooling chamber 45 through which it is slowly advanced by intermittent stages and gradually cooledand discharged from the far end of the furnace, where it is cut up or otherwise dealt with. It will be understood, however, that the tem peratures given serve for purposes of illustration and that they may be varied as 'con ditions demand without departing from the spirit of the invention. A i

The kiln as a whole is so constructed as to permit of the easy and uniform charging of successive layers of material, and the charger 'is so constructed that it may be quickly intro- As the column is.

duced into the interior of the furnace and receive and distribute its charge of sand or other parting material on the inward movement and receive and distribute its charge of granular earthy material on. the outward movement, so that it will remain only for a short time within the bloating chamber, and will not, therefore, be subject to the deleterious effects of a long continued introduction into the high temperature of the bloasting' zone. At' the same time, the discharge of granular earthy material and parting material is so controlled by means of the gates that charges of predetermined amount may be delivered into the respective compartments of thecharger, so that little waste of material will be occasioned, and each charge of" uniform amount will be smoothly and evenly distributed, and bloated for equal periods of time, so that the resulting slab or column will be of substantially uniform dimensions throughout, which is of major importance in the production of slabs or blocks of bloated material, which. should be of uniform dimensions with a minimum of waste.

When it is desired to produce slabs of sintered material, or when it isdesired to fuse the granular material into a solid non-porous mass, the temperatures and firing times may be properly regulated or the materials properly selected with the particular end in vlew, but the-mechanical operation of the furnace will not be materially varied, since the method of charging and building up the umt charges into a continuous slab will be as above described. It is, of course, also possible, where desired, to produce individual unit blocks rather than a continuous slab, by merely advancing each section when fired, a sufficient distance to prevent contact by and fusion with thesucceeding deposit of granular material.

I claim: v

1. In a kiln of the class described. the combination of a bloating chamber provided with a hearth, a charger mounted for reciprocatory movement in spacedrelation to the surface of the hearth, and provided with a discharge orifice in its bottom and adapted during its movement across the hearth to level down the material discharged therefrom, and

-means located above the bloating chamberfor discharging measured quantities of granular material into the charger.

2. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating chamber provided with a hearth, a charger mounted at the end of a beam, and a traveling carriage upon which the beam is mounted and from which it inwardly projects in position to permit the charger to be moved into the bloating chamber and across the hearth, the charger being provided with an aperture in its bottom to permit the discharge of granular material and being mounted to move in parallel relato level down a new charge of granular material in overlapped relation to the charge previously bloated and advanced from its bloating position.

3. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating chamber provided with a hearth, a charger mounted at the end of a beam, .and a traveling carriage upon which the beam is mounted and from which it inwardly projects in position to permit the charger to be moved into the bloating chamber and across the hearth, the charger being provided with an aperture in its bottom to permit the discharge of granular material and being mounted to move in parallel relation to the surface of the hearth to level down the layer of granular material discharged therefrom. the bloating chamber being provided on its rear side with an aperture for the discharge of material when bloated, and the charger having its rear corner beveled to level down a new charge of granular material in overlapped relation to the charge previously bloated and advanced from its bloating position, and the charger being further provided with a compartment for the retention and discharge of parting material, said latter compartment having its bottom in more closely spaced relation to the floor of the hearth to distribute and level down a thin layer of parting material upon the-surface of the hearth.

4. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a. bloating chamber provided with a hearth, a charger mounted at the end of a beam, and a traveling carriage upon which the beam is mounted and from which it inwardly projects in position to permit the charger to be moved into the bloating chamber and across the hearth, the charger being provided with an aperture in its bottom to permit the discharge of granular material and being mounted to move in parallel relation to the surface of the hearth to level down the layer of granular material discharged therefrom, the bloating chamber being provided on its rear side with an aperture for the discharge of material when bloated, and the charger-having its rear corner beveled to level down a new charge of granular'material in overlapped relation to the charge-previously bloated and advanced from its'bloating position, and the charger being further provided with a compartment for the retention and discharge of parting material, said latter compartment having its bottom vin more closely spaced relation to the floor of the hearth to distribute and level down a' thin layer of parting material upon the surface of the hearth, means located above the bloating chamber for depositing a charge of granular material wlthin the charger, and means located above the bloating chamber for dcliveringa charge of part-' -when open and into the interior of the bloating chamber and across the surface of the hearth, the charger consisting of a compartment for granular material, having a slotted bottom elevated a substantial distance above the surface of the hearth, anda compartment for parting material, having a slotted- ,bottom 1n closely spaced relation to the surface of the hearth, the respective bottoms of the two compartments serving to respectively level down a thin layer of parting material, and a relatively deep layer of granular material, and means for charging material in the respective compartments while the charger is within-the bloating chamber.

6. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating chamber provided with a hearth, a movable door for opening and closing the side wall of the bloating chamber, a charger mounted upon an inwardly projecting beam carried by a wheeled truck and adapted to be moved past the door when open and into the interior of the bloating chamber and across the surface of the hearth, the charger consisting of a compartment for granular material, having a slotted bottom elevated a substantial distance above the surface of the hearth, and a compartment for parting material, having a slotted bottom in closely spaced relation to the surface of the hearth, the respective bottoms of the two compartments serving to respectively level down a thin layer of parting material and a relatively deep layer of granular material, a passage for the discharge of granular material, opening through the top of the bloating ch amber in position to deliver a charge of granular material into the charger compartment therefor when the charger stands in its innermost position above the hearth, and a passage for the delivery of-parting material, opening through the top of the bloating chamber in position to discharge parting material into the charg- .er .compartment therefor when the charger stands in its outermost position above the surface of the hearth.

7. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating chamber provided with a hearth, a movable door for opening and closing the side wall of the bloating ber and across the surface of the hearth, the

charger consisting of a com artment for granular material, having as otted bottom elevated a substantial distance above the surface of the hearth, and a compartment for parting material, having a slotted bottom in closely spaced relation to the surface of the hearth, the respective bottoms of the two compartments serving to respectively level down a thin layer of parting material and a relatively deep layer of granular material, a passage for the discharge of granular material, opening through the top of the bloating chamber in position to deliver a charge of.

granular material into the charger com artment therefor when the charger stands in its innermost position above the hearth, and a passage for the delivery of parting material,

opening through the top of the bloating chamber in position to discharge parting material into the charger compartment therefor when the charger stands in its outermostposition above the surface of the hearth, and valves controlling said passages for regulating the amounts of materials delivered to the respective compartments of the charger.

8. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating section comprising an upper bloating and combustion chamber and a lower combustion chamber separated .by a hearth, with flues connecting the two chambers, an annealing section in communication with the bloating section and comprising upper and lower chambers separated by a floor and connected by flues, the annealing section being provided with a plurality of openings throughout its length, and removable closing means for said openings, adaptedto permit regulation of the temperature throughout the annealing section.

9. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating furnace, consisting of an upper combustion and bloating chamber and a lower combustion chamber separated by a hearth, a base within the lower combustlon chamber upon which the hearth is supported, having sloping side walls for the carrying down of material discharged from the hearth, slots being provided along the edges of the hearth to permit such discharge, and a movable char or adapted to be moved across the surface 0% the hearth in spaced relation thereto, and adapted to discharge and level down a layer of material thereover and sweep surplus material over the edge of the hearth and through the slots adjacent thereto.

10. In a kiln of the class described, the

' combination of a bloating chamber provided ectitgg beam carried by a wheeled truck movable from edge to edge of the hearth and 11. In a kiln .of the class described, the

combination of a bloating chamber provided in its roof with a passage for the dischar e of granular material, a movable charger a apted to receive and distribute charges of granular material, and a rotary preheater positioned to deliver preheated granular material to said passage, and provided at its discharging end with an enlarged collecting head provided with an orifice for the delivery of gran ular material.

12. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating chamber rovided in its roof with a passage for the ischarge of granular material, a movable charger adapted to receive and distribute charges of granular material, and a rotary preheater positioned to deliver preheated granular material to said passage, and provided at its discharging end with an enlar ed drum-shaped collecting head provided with an orifice for the delivery of ranular material.

13. In a kiln o the class described, the combination of a bloating chamber provided with a hearth and provided through its roof with a passage for the delivery of granular material, a charger adapted to be moved within the bloating chamber in position to receive a charge from said passageway, a hopperlocated above said passageway and provided with a gate for regulating the inflow of material into said passageway, and a rotary preheater standing in inclined relation and pro vided with an enlarged collecting head positioned to discharge an accumulation of preheated granular material into said hopper.

14. In a kiln ofthe class described, the combination of a bloating chamber provided .with a hearth and provided through its roof into said hopper.

15. In a kiln of the class described, the combination of a bloating chamber provided with a hearth, a charger, including a hopper for granular material and mounted for reciprocatory movement to bring the bottom of the hopper above the surface of the hearth and in spaced relation thereto, the hopper being provided with a downwardly directed discharge orifice in its bottom positioned to discharge granular material onto the surface of the hearth, the bottom of the hopper being adapted during its movement across the hearth to level down the material discharged from the orifice by contact of the bottom of the hopper with the surface of such material deposited on the hearth.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 2nd day 10 of July, 1930.

WARNER HATHAWAY. 

